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#8 in U.S. for study abroad

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For the 21st year in a row, Michigan State University ranks in the top 10 for education abroad, according to the Institute of International Education’s annual Open Doors Report.

The Open Doors report ranks MSU eighth in the nation for study abroad participation, with 2,667 students participating during the 2016-17 academic year – a 10-percent increase from the previous year.

Michigan State has one of the largest catalogs of international learning opportunities, offering more than 275 study abroad programs in more than 60 countries on all continents.

Approximately 23 percent of MSU undergraduates participate in at least one education abroad program. This far exceeds the national average of 16 percent.

MSU also exceeds national averages in participation by science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors by 10 percent, black/African-American students by 2 percent and participation in non-European destinations: sub-Saharan Africa by 3 percent, Latin America by 1 percent, Middle East and North Africa by 1 percent, Oceana by 3 percent and Antarctica by 1 percent.

“Education abroad as a transformative and highly impactful academic endeavor is greatly valued by MSU,” said Opal Leeman Bartzis, executive director of the Office for Education Abroad. “Our participation numbers reflect the deep commitment of the entire MSU community to education abroad. Current efforts are focused on making education abroad as affordable as possible for our students, assessing outcomes and pursuing innovative programming."

Leeman Bartzis was appointed as the new executive director in September of this year, bringing with her more than two decades of experience in education abroad with a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Also reported in this year’s Open Doors, MSU ranks No. 18 in the country – fifth in the Big Ten – for international student enrollment. In 2017-18, MSU hosted 7,624 international students on campus. The majority of international students came from China, followed by India and South Korea.

The release of the Open Doors data marks the celebration of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.